AL-ITQĀN JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC SCIENCES AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES August 2020 Issue No. 2 Volume: 4 EDITOR IN-CHIEF Dr. Wan Mohd Azam Mohd Amin MANAGING EDITOR Dr. Masitoh Ahmad EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. Syed Arabi Aidid, IIUM. Dr. Hassan Basri Mat Dahan, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan Dr. Kamaruzaman Yusuff, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Semarahan, Kucing. Dr. Kamar Oniah, IIUM. Dr. Mumtaz Ali, IIUM. Dr. Noor Amali Mohd Daud, IIUM. Dr. Adibah Abdul Rahim, IIUM. Dr. Haslina Ibrahim, IIUM. Dr. Siti Akmar, Universiti Institut Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam Dr. Thameem Ushama, IIUM.
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AL-ITQĀN JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC SCIENCES AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES
August 2020 Issue No. 2 Volume: 4
EDITOR IN-CHIEF Dr. Wan Mohd Azam Mohd Amin
MANAGING EDITOR Dr. Masitoh Ahmad
EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. Syed Arabi Aidid, IIUM.
Dr. Hassan Basri Mat Dahan, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan
Dr. Kamaruzaman Yusuff, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Semarahan, Kucing. Dr. Kamar Oniah, IIUM. Dr. Mumtaz Ali, IIUM.
Dr. Noor Amali Mohd Daud, IIUM. Dr. Adibah Abdul Rahim, IIUM.
Dr. Haslina Ibrahim, IIUM. Dr. Siti Akmar, Universiti Institut Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam
Dr. Thameem Ushama, IIUM.
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti, Oxford University, UK Dr. Abdullah M. al-Syarqawi, Cairo University, Egypt.
Dr. Abdul Kabir Hussain Solihu, Kwara State University, Nigeria. Dr. Anis Ahmad, Riphah International University, Islamabad.
Dr. ASM Shihabuddin, Uttara University, Dhakka, Bangladesh. Dr. Fatimah Abdullah, Sabahattin Zaim University,Turkey.
Dr. Ibrahim M. Zein, Qatar Foundation, Qatar. Dr. Khalid Yahya, Temple University, USA.
The Early Muslim Discussion on the Problem of the Divine Attributes with
an Emphasis on the Mu„tazilites.
Megawati Moris
5-17
Promoting Inter-Religious Harmony through University-Community
Engagement Project: A Case Study of the Educational Visit to Places of
Worship (Edvist)
Nur Suriya Mohd Nor
19-31
Religious Harmony in India‟s Post-Independence Phase: A Comparative
Study of the Approach of Abul Hasan Ali Nadawi and Wahiduddin Khan.
Khalil Ahmad
Muhammad Mumtaz Ali
Yousuf Azim Siddiqi
33-49
The Response of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) To Educational
Concerns among the Malays in Malaya
Nur Nashrah Isahak
Adibah Abdul Rahim
51-68
Concept and Practice of `Istibdāl among Contemporary Muslims in
Nigeria: Are there Correlations with Qur‟ān 4:20?
Khalid Ishola Bello
69-84
Identifying Islamophobia in Malaysian Buddhist Context.
Ahmad Faizuddin Ramli
Jaffary Awang
Zaizul Ab Rahman
85-108
Hamka‟s Responses to the Evangelisation in Indonesia: An Analysis of
Interpretation of Several Qur‟anic Verses in Tafsir Al-Azhar.
Fathin Hanani Zulkifli
Majdan Alias
109-125
Positive Thinking and Good Impression towards Allah and His
Predestination in Light of Prophetic Guidance. Norhayati Mat Nor
Zunaidah Mohd Marzuki
127-152
The Phenomenon of Religious Extremism in Contemporary Muslim
Societies Manifestations, Causes and Effects.
Fairouz Ziadi
Amilah Awang Abd Rahman
153-198
Author Guidelines
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Notification Letter :
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The Response of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) To Educational
Concerns among the Malays in Malaya
Nur Nashrah Isahak*
Adibah Abdul Rahim**
Abstract The impact of British colonization on Malaya brought about various
demographical changes among the Malays. Under the British colonization,
the Malays were left behind in the state of backwardness and stagnation.
Syed Sheikh al-Hadi (1867-1934) was one of the pioneers of the Malay
reformists during the colonial period who observed the backwardness state
of the Malays and felt responsible to bring changes in the condition and the
way of thinking among them. This study attempts at investigating the
approaches of Syed Sheikh al-Hadi in reviving the backwardness of Malay
society through his educational reform. He believed that through education,
the backward state of Malays can be improved to become a progressive
nation. For the purpose of the study, the paper focuses on selected issues
approached by Syed Sheikh al-Hadi related to educational concerns in the
Malay community. Four major issues will be highlighted, namely his
opposition to blind imitation (taqlid), the elimination of superstition
(khurafat) and innovation (bid‟ah), the establishment of the madrasah
system, and the importance of knowledge and education among the Malay
women. The ideas of Syed Sheikh al Hadi on these issues had brought
about the significant influence on the Malay society during his time. The
study found that Syed Sheikh al-Hadi has contributed remarkably to the
progress and development of the Malays in Malaya through the educational
field particularly in his writings and establishing educational institutions. It
was also traced that Syed Sheikh al-Hadi was greatly influenced by the
educational reform in Egypt and brought the idea back to Malaya.
Keywords: Syed Sheikh al -Hadi, Malaya, Malays, education, reform.
Introduction
The presence of British colonial power in Malaya led to the decline of the
Malays‟ progress and development. This situation awakened Syed Sheikh
al-Hadi to bring an improvement and changes in the Malay society. In his
approach, al- Hadi was very much influenced by the educational reform
particularly advocated by Muhammad Abduh in Egypt. He applied the
* Lecturer at the Intec Education College (INTEC) Email: [email protected] ** Assoc. Prof. Dr. Department of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Comparative Religion, Kulliyyah of
Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS), International Islamic
University Malaysia (IIUM), Gombak, Selangor. Email: [email protected]
52 The Response of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) - Nur Nashrah, Adibah
idea to restore the Malay community from the state of stagnation and
declination towards development and progression.
During al-Hadi‟s period, there were two styles of education; the
Western educational system administered by British and the traditional
religious educational system advocated by the Malay religious leaders. The
Western education put a great emphasis on sciences and worldly knowledge
and neglected religious aspects. Meanwhile, the traditional religious
education only focused on religious aspects and neglected the worldly
knowledge. Thus, al-Hadi sought to reconcile between these two systems
of education. He believed that the religious and worldly knowledge are
complementary to each other for the development of progressive nation. At
the same time, he also concerned about the conservative teachings of Kaum
Tua in Malaya at that time and criticized their teachings as the main cause
of Muslim degradation. That is why in his emphasis on education, he
focused on the wrong understanding of religion which had led to downfall
of Islam. He advocated a new form of knowledge and freedom of thought in
the Malay society. By doing so, al-Hadi exposed people to differentiate
themselves between true Islamic teachings and the false ones.
Al-Hadi‟s concern about the importance of knowledge for the
Malays was obviously traced throughout his writings in magazines, such
as al-Imam (1906-1909), al-Ikhwan (1926-1931) and Saudara (1928-
1941). These magazines obviously reflected his ideas on the importance
of knowledge among the Malays. Al-Hadi stated that;
Education is the dawn of the faith whilst knowledge is its sun that
reveals the darkness; it is the secret that only the wise could
comprehend. Knowledge is the weapon by which victory in the
battle fields of life can be achieved; it is the connecting factor
which brings most of the people to their destination of greatest and
excellence. Knowledge is in fact the treasury of truth and the
reservoir of wisdom; it is the proper channel towards perfection,
the light which when it occupies the two human vessels –the heart
and head- will illuminate all over the country.1
The purpose of his remark was to encourage the Malays to seek
knowledge through a proper education. The proper education, according
to al-Hadi, is built upon the knowledge based on the Qur`ān, Sunnah and
Syed Shaykh Al-Hady‟s Concept of Knowledge and The Transformation of Education
of The Malays (Phd.Thesis. International Islamic University Malaysia, 2011), p. 182.
Al-Itqān, Volume 4, Issue No 2, August, 2020 53
reason or ʿaql. It should be free from blind imitation (taqlid), superstitious
belief (khurafat) and bad innovation (bidʿah ḍalālah). Meanwhile, the
main goal of education is to bring goodness to the world and the hereafter.
It is at this juncture, al-Hadi tried to remove the dual system of education
namely; modern and traditional religious knowledge so that the Malays
would benefit both types of knowledge. The integrated model of
education which is a combination between the modern and religious
educational system advocated by al-Hadi is expected to produce a
balanced personality of Muslims who are neither secular nor rigid and
could bring about development in the society within the framework of
Islam. Al-Hadi observed the urgent need to reform the Malays‟ mindset
and position. This paper highlights four major issues with regard to his
educational concerns; firstly, his opposition to taqlīd, secondly, the
elimination of the practice of superstition (khurafat) and innovation
(bidʿah), thirdly, the establishment of madrasah system and fourthly, the
importance of knowledge for the Malay women.
Intellectual Background of Syed Sheikh al-Hadi
Syed Sheikh bin Syed Ahmad bin Hassan bin Saqqaf al-Hadi, often
recognized as Syed Sheikh al-Hadi or al-Hadi was born on 26 November
1867 at Kampung Hulu, Melaka to a Malay mother and Arab-Malay
father of Haḍrami descendent.1 There is an insufficient account of the
early life of al-Hadi, thus, most of the contemporary researchers rely on
Syed Alwi‟s writing about his father. The history of Arab-Malay of
Haḍrami descendent can be traced back to the immigration of Arabs to
Malaya. It was reported that al-Hadi‟s great grandfather, Saqaf al-Hadi
probably migrated to Malacca in the late 18th
century.2 The Arab-Malay
families are highly respected by the local Malays for their bloodline and
religious merit. In the Malay community, those who have a surname Syed
or Syarifah for women is regarded as carrying on the lineage of the
Prophet‟s family. Furthermore, the Arab immigrants in Malaya were
closely related to the arrival of Islam in the Malay world. These are
evidences indicating that al-Hadi came from a notable and religious
family which was highly respected by the Malay community.3
1 Hafiz Zakariya, “Al-Hadi‟s Contributions to Islamic Reformism in Malaya” in The
Hadhrami Diaspora in Southeast Asia Identity Maintenance or Assimilation? Edited by
Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk and Hassan Ahmed Ibrahim (Boston: Brill, 2009), p. 204. 2 Ibrahim Abu Bakar, Islamic Modernism in Malaya: The Life and Thoughts of Sayid
Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934), (Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 1994), p. 50. 3 Hafiz, “Al-Hadi‟s Contributions…”, p. 205.
54 The Response of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) - Nur Nashrah, Adibah
Al-Hadi had spent his early lifetime in several places before
dedicating the final phase of his life in Penang. Hence, his life can be
divided into three main phases. The first phase of his life is referred to his
early childhood where he spent his life and received his early education in
Malacca before his father brought their family to Pulau Penyengat, Riau.
He was adopted by Raja Ali Kelana, a member of Riau royal family. Al-
Hadi also went to Kuala Terengganu and enrolled in pondok which used a
traditional way of teaching and learning Islamic knowledge.1 The second
phase of al-Hadi‟s life began by his visits to Egypt. In Egypt, al-Hadi was
exposed to Muhammad Abduh‟s works and ideas of Islamic reform. His
return from Egypt to Malaya marked his third phase of life where he
propagated educational reform among the Malays.2 Prior to his great
impression on Abduh‟s idea of reform and revival of Islam, al-Hadi had
started making a reform to improve the conditions of the Malays.
In terms of educational background of al-Hadi, there were two phases
of education that he had gone through. The first phase was his early
education where he spent most of his youth learning religious knowledge
in the Malay Archipelago. The second phase was during his visits to the
Middle-east which became a milestone in the development of his thought
on the idea of educational reform. The early education of al-Hadi was
basically related to his study on the Malay and Arabic language, and
religious sciences. He began his earlier education in Malacca under his
father‟s instruction, Syed Ahmad al-Hadi who taught him Malay, Arabic
and fundamental Islamic knowledge. At the age of seven, al-Hadi moved
to Pulau Penyengat, an island located in Riau.3
Al-Hadi travelled to the Middle East to accompany the royal
aristocrats for the purpose of performing pilgrimage and further their
studies in Mecca, Medina and Egypt.4 During al-Hadi‟s visit to Egypt,
he was exposed to Jamal al-dīn al-Afghānī (1839-1897), Muḥammad
ʿAbduh (1849-1905) and other Muslim reformists‟ idea of iṣlah
(reform). He indulged himself in their writings. Za‟ba reported that al-
Hadi had a direct contact with ʿAbduh and Rashīd Riḍā in Egypt.5 This
has resulted in a great admiration of al-Hadi on Muḥammad ʿAbduh‟s
progressive idea. After his return to Malaya, al-Hadi worked together
1 Ibrahim, Islamic Modernism..., pp. 53-54.
2 A further discussion on these three phases of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi‟s life will be
detailed in the next section. 3 Hafiz, “Al-Hadi's Contributions...”, p. 205.
4 Ibrahim, Islamic Modernism…, p. 57.
5 Ibid, p. 58.
Al-Itqān, Volume 4, Issue No 2, August, 2020 55
with his other fellow comrades such as Syeikh Tahir Jalaluddin to
continue the idea of reform in the Malay society.1
Al-Hadi’s Opposition to the Principle of Taqlīd
According to Ibn Manzur, taqlīd is derived from Arabic term q-l-d which
technically means to put something around the neck.2 Taqlīd is also
defined as to imitate or copy, and was seen as accepting and following the
views of someone whose opinion itself was not regarded as proven true.
The rise of taqlīd has provided the laymen with definitive answer
pertaining to all their legal queries. This avoids them from confusion in
the complexity of disagreement (ikhtilāf) among the scholars of different
school of jurisprudence (madhāhib).3
In the Malayan context, the Malays tend to blindly adhere to some
pertinent concepts held by their ancestors and those concepts are usually
related to the Malay cultures and civilizations.4 The emergence of taqlīd in
the Malay community was due to several reasons, for instance, the agrarian
lifestyle of the Malays and the role of traditionalist groups as exponents of
taqlīd. The Malays during the colonial period was considered as agrarian
community which required more on the physical ability, and the intellectual
ability was not given priority. The lack of the intellectual ability was an
obstacle for the development of the society. Moreover, the nature of
education in Malay vernacular schools at that time only enabled the Malay
peasants to read, write and do simple calculation to survive their everyday
life. They were not trained to maximize their intellectual ability as the
colonial rule was afraid of the rise of educated and intellectual Malays who
would go against them.
During al-Hadi‟s time, the religious education was led by the Malay
traditionalist scholars through pondok system, and their methodology of
teaching was based on taqlīd or rigidity and blind following with no
emphasis on critical thinking and analytical approach. The Malay
traditionalist scholars claimed that the use of reason is contradictory to
Islam and argued that it was impossible for one to make independent
3 Abdul-Rahman Mustafa, on Taqlid: Ibn Al Qayyim's Critique of Authority in Islamic
Law, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), p. 6-8. 4 Adibah Sulaiman, Ezad Azraai Jamsari, Kamaruzaman Jusoff, Noor Inayah Yaakub,
Wan Kamal Mujani, Wan Mohd Hirwani Wan Hussain and Zinatul Ashiqin Zainol
“Malay Society of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century: Blind Imitation vs Independent
Reasoning”, Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, vol.7 (2011): pp. 7-8.
56 The Response of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) - Nur Nashrah, Adibah
reasoning (ijtihād) as this exercise had discontinued since several
centuries ago.1 Al-Hadi was opposed to this culture of taqlīd as it was
against the spirit of the Qur`ān which emphasized on the importance of
reason. He observed that some of the Malays scholars at that time were
qualified to be mujtahids due to their well-versed in Arabic language as
well as Islamic traditions. However, they chose to simply adhere to
previous opinion without any reasonable justification. Al-Hadi,
therefore, criticized this kind of attitude and claimed that they should
deduce directly from the divine sources instead of relying solely on the
previous scholars‟ opinion.2 Al-Hadi affirmed that Allah created man as
a rational being, and bestowed upon them the intellectual and rational
faculty which made human being the very best creation.3 Thus, he called
upon the Malays to use their rational faculty and intelligence in order to
understand the teachings of the Qur`ān and the Sunnah instead of
blindly following the instructions without understanding the real
meaning and purposes of Islamic principles.
Al-Hadi emphasized on the usefulness, reasonableness and
practicability of Islamic principles and practices in relation to the pillars
of Islam.4 In his book Ugama Islam dan Akal (Islam and Reason), al-
Hadi provided a deep discussion and analysis on the purpose of the
pillars of Islam. Although Muslims are taught about those pillars or
obligations and know them since they were children, apparently most of
them only perform them for individual benefits or simply imitate what
others have done.5 Hence, al-Hadi urged Muslims to use their
intellectual ability to seek the philosophical wisdom as well as the spirit
behind each and every practice of ʿibādah. He also emphasized that
every ʿibādah is not only for the individual betterment but also for the
societal development.
Al-Hadi denounced the derivative belief, unquestioned obedience
and blind imitation or taqlīd to be practiced by the Malay community.
He demanded the Malays to employ their rational ability and reason to
seek the truth and understand about God‟s injunctions and prohibitions.6
In addition, he argued that any religious interpretations of the early
Muslim scholars that were in conflict with the faculty of reason and the
1 Ibid.
2 Ibid.
3 Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi, Ugama Islam dan Akal, (Pulau Pinang: Jelutong Press, 1931), p.66.
4 Ibrahim, Islamic Modernism, p. 125.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid., p. 80.
Al-Itqān, Volume 4, Issue No 2, August, 2020 57
circumstances of his time needed to be re-evaluated and re-interpreted
according to the Qur`ān and the Sunnah.1 This is because the Malays
during his time tended to depend blindly on the teachings and opinions
of certain religious teachers without referring to the Qur`ān and the
Sunnah of the Prophet. The society also tended to belief and imitate
something that was deemed fit in their life and culture without
questioning the reason and its validity. He critically wrote in his work
„Ugama Islam dan Akal‟ (Islam and Reason),
Indeed, God‟s curse in al-Qur‟an upon those who do not
open and free their mind from shackles of thought. Hence,
their mind is useless without checking the truth of certain
matter, but only blindly following the act of their descendants
and previous community!2
During al-Hadi‟s time, he observed that the Malay community did not
concern much about the interpretation of religious beliefs and practices. It
was deemed unnecessary for them as they preferred to follow the sayings
of their religious teachers and leaders. This kind of attitude led to the
problem of taqlīd or blind following, stagnation and rigidity of thinking
among them. The religious beliefs and practices were seen as obligatory
ritual only without seeking the spirit of philosophical wisdom behind
them. In response to this scenario, al-Hadi advocated the Malays to
explain their religious beliefs and practices in a rational as well scientific
argumentation especially in defense them against the non-believers so that
Islam would be more acceptable to the modern minds of the people.
In his opposition to taqlīd, al-Hadi encouraged the implementation
of ijtihad in which he considered ijtihād as the means to the intellectual
development of Islamic thought. He believed in the progressive,
dynamic, and rational character of Islam. Al-Hadi was critical of those
Malay traditionalist scholars who believed in taqlīd and discouraged any
new and creative thoughts. He acknowledged the role of human reason
and it led him to proclaim that the door of ijtihād should not be closed
and it is the duty as well as the right of the qualified scholars to apply
the principles of the Qur`ān to the problems of their time. Al-Hadi
argued that Islam honours reason and imposes on Muslims to use their
intellect to discover and acknowledge the existence of God and His
1 Adibah Sulaiman, “Malay Society of the Late 19th and Early 20
th Century: Blind
Imitation vs Independent Reasoning”, p. 10. 2 Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi, Ugama Islam dan Akal, p. 27.
58 The Response of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (1867-1934) - Nur Nashrah, Adibah
omnipotence through the study of this magnificent universe.1 Hence, al-
Hadi did not oppose sciences in education but encouraged to combine it
with the Islamic teachings.2
The Elimination of Superstitious Beliefs and Practices (Khurafat)
and Innovation (Bidʿah)
The superstitious beliefs and practices (khurafat) were deeply rooted in
the Malay culture for centuries. George Maxwell in his book In Malay
Forests described the origin of Malay superstitious beliefs and practices
and how the Malays retained them alongside their Islamic belief to be
part of the Malay custom;
The Malays of the Peninsula … are now without exception
followers of the Prophet – decidedly unorthodox in many ways, it
is true, but unshakable in their adherence to what they consider to
be essentials of their religion: recognizing the “Law of the
Custom”, the Hukom Adat, the traditions of many centuries of
paganism and Hinduism on the one hand, and on the other hand the
often conflicting claim of the “Law of the Prophet”, the Hukom
Sharaʿ, their more recently acquired code – and always ready to
make a compromise between them.3
This is because the belief system of the Malays before the arrival of Islam
was influenced by paganism, Hinduism and Buddhism. After they
embraced Islam, remnants of superstitious beliefs and practices still existed
in Malay cultures and customs. There are several examples of superstitious
practices in the Malay culture. Semangat Padi (The Spirit of Rice-paddy),
for instance, is a belief that there is a spirit who guards and flourishes the
paddy field. The Malay peasants performed Upacara Semangat Padi, a
ritual connected with the planting and harvesting the rice paddy to show
respect and thankfulness towards Semangat Padi hoping for abundance of
the harvest. This ritual was conducted and led by Tok Bomoh¸ a Malay
shaman, who sought assurance from the spirit to take care of the paddy
field. The ritual involved a combination of recitations of Hindu mantera
(invocations) and Doa Selamat (Islamic Supplication) in Arabic.4
1 Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi, Ugama Islam dan Akal, p. 17.
2 Ibrahim, Islamic Modernism, p. 40.
3 Robert Day McAmis, Malay Muslims: The History and Challenge of Resurgent Islam
in Southeast Asia. (Cambridge: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2002), pp. 50-51. 4 Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof, One Hundred and One Things Malay, (Singapore: Patridge
Publishing, 2016),
Al-Itqān, Volume 4, Issue No 2, August, 2020 59
Aside from superstitious belief, the Malays also believed in and
practiced innovation (bidʿah) as parts of their culture. The concept of
innovation (bidʿah) can be classified into two classifications, the good
innovation (bidʿah ḥasanah) which is in line with religious teaching and
the bad innovation (bidʿah ḍalalah) which is against the religious teaching
and leads to religious heresy. The superstition (khurafat) was fallen under
the second category of bidʿah, that is, the bidʿah ḍalalah. Henceforth, the
focus on the innovation (bidʿah) in this section is the bad innovation
(bidʿah ḍalalah). There are a few factors for the emergence of bidʿah in
the Malay society, for instance; the lack of religious knowledge, the
misunderstanding on religious matters, the influence of shamanism and
the belief in supernatural powers and magic1 , such as, belief in an unseen
power that controls the world. This has led to the belief that every matter
in this world, such as, mountains, rocks, trees etc. has a spirit.
Man became afraid of this as they believed it can cause a good or
bad impact on human‟s life2. Al-Hadi criticized this negative attitude
among the Malays and their lack of understanding of Islam. For
instance, instead of relying on Allah‟s power, they asked help from other
unseen matters. They visited graveyard or asked help from shamans for
blessing and abundance of wealth. This kind of practice, according to al-
Hadi, would be a hindrance for the physical and intellectual
developments of the Malays and made them becoming a weak nation.
Therefore, al-Hadi emphasized on removal of any practice of shirk
among the Malay community at his time.
Al-Hadi observed that the best way of reforming the mindset and
superstitious as well as bidʿah practices among the Malays is through an
educational reform. For him, the first step was to cleanse Islamic teaching
from any elements of shirk, khurafat and bidʿah. In order to eliminate these
elements, al-Hadi emphasized on the need for a proper understanding on the
concept of tawhīd. In his book Ugama Islam dan Akal (Islam and Reason),
he discussed about the significance of shahādah as a foundation of Islam
and it needs to be internalized in one‟s heart and externalized in actions. In
addition, al-Hadi reminded Muslims to have a firm and strong belief in